If an angry stranger spat in your face for reasons out of your control, how would you respond?

Depends on the stranger, really.

I would tolerate that from a woman perhaps, if the situation merited the response. From a man doing the posturing thing, I'd probably take it as an overt threat. My action would depend on the situation. If he was a trained fighter I would probably bow out, and leave as quickly as possible. Otherwise I'd stick around and see if they wanted to stay and face assault charges.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but spitting is considered assault in the US. A complete stranger better have a damn good reason for spitting on me.

Suppose someone you knew died today. This question has two parts and you can insert your own choice of details in to help you answer the questions:

What would be your immediate emotional response upon hearing the news?

What would be your immediate course of action upon hearing the news?

You attend a party that you were actually looking forward to for the last two weeks. Describe what types of food and beverages you would expect to find in that party.

In a twist of fate during an apocalypse where everyone is to be given super/magical powers, you are to choose between two paths before being assigned your powers: Team Creation or Team Destruction. The side you choose will determine what special powers you get and the type of people you would be surrounded by until the end of your lifetime. All you know before your decision is that the losing team will be wiped out absolutely and the winning team will create the new world. Assume that for whatever reason, you will inevitably choose a team. This question has three parts:

Suppose someone you knew died today. This question has two parts and you can insert your own choice of details in to help you answer the questions:

What would be your immediate emotional response upon hearing the news?

What would be your immediate course of action upon hearing the news?

You attend a party that you were actually looking forward to for the last two weeks. Describe what types of food and beverages you would expect to find in that party.

In a twist of fate during an apocalypse where everyone is to be given super/magical powers, you are to choose between two paths before being assigned your powers: Team Creation or Team Destruction. The side you choose will determine what special powers you get and the type of people you would be surrounded by until the end of your lifetime. All you know before your decision is that the losing team will be wiped out absolutely and the winning team will create the new world. Assume that for whatever reason, you will inevitably choose a team. This question has three parts:

Team Creation or Destruction?

What special powers would you predict you would receive?

What types of people do you expect to encounter in your team?

In response to the death questions, I'd probably feel sad and read L'Etranger.

As for the party, probably liquor in good quantity if not good variety or quality. Maybe paired with some sweets.

The conflict you set up (creation vs. destruction) is interesting, but it's a yin and yang situation. Can't have night without day, can't have creation without destruction. Entropy is countered by spontaneous creation. Hawking radiation and all.

If I had to pick, I'd go with creation. Even if I was eventually swallowed up by destruction, I think I'd rather build than knock down. I'd probably expect gaia powers. Other gods or demigods probably rate as far as companions and enemies go.

ASL? Want to Cyber?

nah and nah

I know quite a few people who have met online, but I don't think I could really go for that.

Sure. I write constantly, and usually it's fiction. I keep up with current affairs. I can hold a conversation. That sort of interesting?

If you want it to be, absolutely. I like to ask people about how they perceive themselves. I'm more interested in that than other things usually. I think how a person view's themselves can reveal a lot about them.

Where did the name @redlion come from? Is it a coincidence that it's the same as a hotel chain?

I made a topic about that very thing once. Let me see if I can find it, save me the trouble of typing it twice. Well I can't find it, because the search is limiting me to 2015 and I think it's older than that. I cba to try harder.

Basically I picked an animal and a color in emulation of someone else, who had the same setup. The hotel thing is a total coincidence. It's also the most popular name for a pub in the UK, I've come to find out. Or maybe it was second to "The Crown" or something like that.

If you want it to be, absolutely. I like to ask people about how they perceive themselves. I'm more interested in that than other things usually. I think how a person view's themselves can reveal a lot about them.

In that case, yes.

I had thought you might have meant the mysterious, 'who is that?' sort of interesting. I don't cut a very dashing figure.

I made a topic about that very thing once. Let me see if I can find it, save me the trouble of typing it twice. Well I can't find it, because the search is limiting me to 2015 and I think it's older than that. I cba to try harder.

Basically I picked an animal and a color in emulation of someone else, who had the same setup. The hotel thing is a total coincidence. It's also the most popular name for a pub in the UK, I've come to find out. Or maybe it was second to "The Crown" or something like that.
In that case, yes.

I had thought you might have meant the mysterious, 'who is that?' sort of interesting. I don't cut a very dashing figure.

Aha, sorry, I wasn't super clear. Although, I don't really know you so maybe you are?

If you had one wish and it is guaranteed to come true exactly as you say it (no you can't wish for more wishes), what would you wish for?

Basically I picked an animal and a color in emulation of someone else, who had the same setup. The hotel thing is a total coincidence. It's also the most popular name for a pub in the UK, I've come to find out. Or maybe it was second to "The Crown" or something like that.

No, it's the most popular. When will you come to London so we can go on a pub crawl of Red Lions? I can think of at least six.

Or, do something with your life that will bring you on a trip to London.

I think that really it's an award for earning Dave's adoration. And for knowing if he's truly called Dave

You've already got the badger, did he need another one?

I'm a bit surprised by your answer. Not because you said world peace but because you clarified the ancillary problems.

Last question: what do you think of the Fermi paradox, if you're aware of it (I'm assuming you are because you're incredibly well-read from my perspective)?

Well, in formal logic it doesn't exist as a paradox. Basically, Fermi was talking casually and people have tried to formalize the point he made (namely, "Where is everybody?") into a logical argument for the existence of ET or for a government coverup, which isn't the same thing.

My basic view is this. It's likely that intelligent life exists, has existed or will exist somewhere and at some time in our galaxy, but it's unlikely that they'd go to any lengths to visit a species that still wars with itself and can't get off their home planet.

That's assuming they know about us, have any interest in meeting other species, can travel to us, and would within the relatively short period (~5000 years) that humans have had civilization.

For all we know, they could have found out about us the first moment we made fire, and still not have visited because they live on the other side of the galaxy. Maybe two space faring species in a galaxy is a lot. Maybe two thousand is a lot. That still leaves... what, 2 billion unpopulated stars in the galaxy? Long odds of crossing paths indeed.

Edit: I can't stop thinking about this question now. I read a really great short story on the subject. Aaand now that I've pulled the collection it's in, I'm not at all surprised by the title, which I couldn't remember. It's called The Fermi Paradox is Our Business Model by Charlie Jane Anders (read it here). The author makes the point that intelligent life destroys itself rather more commonly than our experience has led us to believe.

In all honesty, I would have judged you either way. There was no right answer to that question.

Would you rather have dirty sex with Hilary once a week for five years, or dirty sex with Trump once?